Stomach

The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is gaster which is used as gastric in medical terms related to the stomach. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach is involved in the gastric phase of digestion, following the cephalic phase in which the sight and smell of food and the act of chewing are stimuli. In the stomach a chemical breakdown of food takes place by means of secreted digestive en

highly corrosive, strong mineral acid in aqueous solution

Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids. It is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, where it helps digest the proteins in food. Pepsin is an aspartic protease, using a catalytic aspartate in its active site.

digestive fluid formed in the stomach

thumb|right|Animal rennet to be used in the manufacture of cheddar cheese

thumb|Plesiosaur gastroliths from [[Tropic Shale]] A gastrolith, also called a stomach stone or gizzard stone, is a rock held inside a gastrointestinal tract. Gastroliths in some species are retained in the muscular gizzard and used to grind food in animals lacking suitable grinding teeth. In other species the rocks are ingested and pass through the digestive system and are frequently replaced. The grain size depends upon the size of the animal and the gastrolith's role in digestion. Other species use gastroliths as ballast. Particles ranging in size from sand to cobble have been documented. T

The pylorus ( or ) connects the stomach to the duodenum. The pylorus is considered as having two parts, the pyloric antrum (opening to the body of the stomach) and the pyloric canal (opening to the duodenum). The pyloric canal ends as the pyloric orifice, which marks the junction between the stomach and the duodenum. The orifice is surrounded by a sphincter, a band of muscle, called the pyloric sphincter. The word pylorus comes from Greek πυλωρός, via Latin. The word pylorus in Greek means "gatekeeper", related to "gate" () and is thus linguistically related to the word "pylon".

epithelial cell that secrete hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor

mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

type of gastric gland cell

somatostatin-producing cell

arises above the pylorus from the proper hepatic artery or less frequently from the common hepatic artery,

portal vein

type of cell in the stomach and duodenum that secretes gastrin

blood vessel

blood vessel

lining of the stomach

specialized cell of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas with endocrine function

cell type

blood vessel

lower left or lateral edge of the stomach

Indentations in the stomach

blood vessel

mucus-producing cells in stomach lining protective against gastric acid

blood vessel

reflex of the gastrointestinal tract in humans

vein of the torso